STORRS, Conn. — For the first time in a generation, the UConn Women’s Basketball team is not expected to reach the Final Four, which occurs next month at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland on April 5 and 7.
When the 68-team field was announced on Sunday night, UConn received a No. 3 seed for the first time since 2005, when it lost in the Sweet 16 to No. 2 seed Stanford, ending a run of three consecutive national championships.
Led by First-Team All-American Paige Bueckers to a 29-5 record, the 2023-2024 Huskies were sent to the Portland 3 region. The team will play its first two games on its home court at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. but must travel more than 3,000 miles to Portland, Ore. if it earns a spot in the Sweet 16.
To escape its bracket, UConn must climb a steep hill. With the likes of No. 1 seed Southern California and No. 2 seed Ohio State headlining the region, the Huskies have significant work to do just to reach their 23rd Final Four.
Round of 64 opponent:
Jackson State (14)
UConn begins NCAA Tournament play at Gampel Pavilion on Saturday at 1 p.m. on ABC against the 26-6 Jackson State Lady Tigers, who won the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships.
Including their conference tournament run, the Lady Tigers have reeled off 21 consecutive victories and look to carry the momentum into Storrs to score an all-time upset. Led by guard TiLan Boler, who averaged 11.7 points per game, and guard Angel Jackson, who pulled down 6.9 rebounds per game, Jackson State has every reason to feel confident entering the Round of 64 on Saturday.
Possible Round of 32 opponents:
Syracuse (6)
If UConn prevails past Jackson State on Saturday, the Huskies could play old Big East rival Syracuse on Monday. With a record of 23-7, the Orange finished tied for second in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
This season, Syracuse upset No. 2 seed Notre Dame twice, defeated No. 5 seed Louisville and earned a victory over then No. 9 seed Florida State. The Orange are led by prolific guard Dyaisha Fair, who averaged 22 points per game and entered the top five of the NCAA women’s basketball all-time scoring list by surpassing 3,300 points and moving ahead of former Baylor star Brittany Griner in the process. The Orange hope to renew the rivalry and beat the Huskies on Monday.
Auburn/Arizona (11)
Auburn and Arizona will play on Thursday night in the First Four game for the right to travel to Storrs and play Syracuse. At 20-11, Auburn is making its first tournament appearance since 2019 and is seeking its first NCAA tournament victory since 2016. This year, Auburn’s strongest win came against No. 3 seed LSU.
With a record of 17-15, Arizona barely made its way into the NCAA tournament field. A road victory over No. 2 seed Stanford helped the Wildcats squeeze into the bracket. Two close losses to No. 1 seed Southern California showed Arizona’s ability to hang with any team in the college game.
Possible Sweet 16 opponents:
Ohio State (2)
UConn is no stranger to Ohio State. The roles were reversed last year when the No. 3 seed Buckeyes defeated the No. 2 seed Connecticut in the Sweet 16. If UConn advances to its 30th consecutive Sweet 16, it will likely face off with the team that sent them packing last year, which marked the first time since 2007 that the Huskies failed to make the Final Four.
This edition of the Buckeyes is led by two familiar faces. Returning players include guard Jacy Sheldon, who led the team with 18 points and 3.7 assists per game, and forward Cotie McMahon, who led the team with 6.5 rebounds per game. Despite being regular season champs of the Big Ten, the Buckeyes were knocked off by unranked Maryland in the conference tournament. They’ll look to get back to their winning ways, especially if they face the Huskies again in the Sweet 16, where they already have a recipe for success, although they didn't face Paige Bueckers last year.
Duke (7)
Featuring a stingy defense but below-average offense, the Blue Devils went 20-11 during the 2023-2024 campaign. Led by guards Reigan Richardson, who averaged 11.5 points per game, and Oluchi Okananwa, who grabbed 6.2 rebounds per game, Duke earned victories this season over No. 3 seed NC State, No. 4 seed Virginia Tech and No. 6 seed Syracuse, proving it can grind out wins over high level competition.
Richmond (10)
With a record of 29-5, Richmond went 16-2 in Atlantic 10 play and earned the conference tournament title by defeating Rhode Island. Despite a 30-point loss to Duke to begin the season, the Spiders enter March Madness having won 12 of their past 13 games. Led by forward Maggie Doogan, who averages 15.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, Richmond hopes to avenge its early season loss against the Blue Devils and advance to the Round of 32.
Maine (15)
Champions of the America East Conference Tournament, the Maine Black Bears enter the NCAA Tournament on a six-game winning streak with an overall record of 24-9. Led by guard Anne Simon, averaging 18.8 points per game, and forward Adrianna Smith, averaging 10.9 rebounds per contest, the Black Bears will look to score a rare victory for a No. 15 seed when they play a formidable Ohio State squad.
Possible Elite 8 opponents:
Southern California (1)
While it remains to be seen if UConn will survive long enough to play them, the toughest opponent in the Huskies’ bracket is without question the Southern California Trojans. With a record of 26-5, the Trojans upset the No. 2 seed Stanford Cardinal to win the final Pac-12 Conference Tournament championship and earn their first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986, when they were led by Basketball Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller, older sister of another Hall of Famer, Reggie Miller.
Led by freshman sensation JuJu Watkins, who averaged 27 points, 3 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals per game and graced the cover of SLAM magazine this season, the Trojans are poised to restore their past success and win a third national championship. With wins this season against No. 2 seed Ohio State, two wins against No. 2 seed UCLA and two wins over No. 2 seed Stanford, the Trojans are built to do damage in the tournament.
Virginia Tech (4)
Entering the tournament with a record of 24-7, the Virginia Tech Hookies are perhaps under seeded, but their March success will depend on the health of Elizabeth Kitley, a center who led the team with 22.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Kitley missed the ACC Tournament with a knee injury and her status for the NCAA Tournament remains in question.
If Kitley is unable to play, the Hookies must rely on guard Georgia Amoore, who averaged 19.2 points, 6.9 assists and .9 steals this this season. Last March, Amoore was the most outstanding player in the Seattle 3 regional, as Virginia Tech advanced to the Final Four.
Baylor (5)
Baylor is a familiar foe for the Huskies, who have engaged the Bears in many memorable regular season and NCAA Tournament battles over the past two decades. Last season, UConn eliminated Baylor in the Round of 32.
This season, Baylor (24-7) improved its seeding and scored victories over No. 1 seed Texas and No. 5 seed Utah. After an early exit in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, the Bears hope to rebound in the NCAA tournament. Baylor is led by forward Dre’Una Edwards, who averaged 12 points per game, guard Aijha Blackwell, who brought down 8.4 rebounds per contest and Sarah Andrews, who dished out 3.9 assists on average.
Kansas (8)
Kansas went 19-12 during the 2023-2024 campaign and lost to UConn 71-63 on Nov. 25, 2023. With victories over 4-seed Kansas State, 5-seed Baylor and 5-seed Oklahoma, the Jayhawks also lost to 4-seed Virginia Tech by a point, proving they can compete with tournament level teams.
Kansas is led by freshman guard S’Mya Nichols, who averaged 15.2 points per game this season. She also had 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per contest. Center Taiyanna Jackson secured 9.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game as well.
Michigan (9)
The Michigan Wolverines enter March Madness with a record of 20-13 but are playing some of their best basketball of the season at the most important time. During the Big Ten Tournament, the Wolverines upset 4-seed Indiana and kept it close early against No. 1 seed Iowa before the Hawkeyes, led by phenom guard Caitlin Clark, pulled away.
Guard Leila Phelia averaged 16.8 points per game en route to being named to the All-Big Ten First Team, and forward Cameron Williams led the team with 4.7 rebounds per game.
Vanderbilt/Columbia (12)
Vanderbilt and Columbia will face off in the First Four on Wednesday. At 22-9, the Vanderbilt Commodores are coached by former UConn star Shea Ralph, who is making her NCAA Tournament debut with the program. This season, Vanderbilt won its most games in a decade.
Columbia enters March Madness for the first time in program history. With a record of 23-6, and 13-1 in conference play, the Lions earned the Ivy League’s first at-large bid since 2016 after losing to No. 9 seed Princeton in the conference tournament championship.
Marshall (13)
The Marshall Herd compiled a 26-6 record this season, including going 17-1 in Sun Belt competition and winning the conference tournament. Guard Abby Beeman leads the way for Marshall. She led the team in almost every category, with 16.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 2.4 steals and .2 blocks per game this season.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (16)
Only one No. 16 has beaten a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament on the women’s side; it happened in 1998 when Harvard took down No. 1 seed Stanford. If the Islanders of Texas A&M Corpus Christi hope to pull off the unthinkable, they’ll lean on forward Alecia Westbrook, who led the team with 11.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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